Display-rack for show-cases.



J. H. SERVATIUS & F. E. MEINEL.

DISPLAY RACK FOR SHOW GASES.

APPLICATION FILED MAE.17,1910.

Patented June '7, 1910.

UNITED STATES FATET OFFICE.

JOSEPH H. SERVATIUS AND FREDERICK E. MEINEL, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, ASSIGNORS T0 ILLINOIS SHOW CASE WORKS, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, A CORPORATION OF ILLINOIS.

DISPLAY-RACK FOR SHOW-CASES.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that we, JOSEPH H. SERVA- TIUs and FREDERICK E. MEINEL, both citizens of the United States, residing at Chicago, county of Cook, State of Illinois, have invented a certain new and yuseful Improvement in Display-Racks for Show-Cases, and declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the same, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it pertains to make and use the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, which form a part of this specification.

Our invention has for its object to provide a neat and simple rack adapted to be placed within a show case, cabinet or other storage or display compartment to support and display goods of various kinds.

A further object of our invention is to produce a rack of the character specified which will permit the goods to be readily drawn outside of the case while still supported by the rack.`

A further object of our invention is to provide a rack of the character specified which will automatically assume its normal position in the show case when free to do so.

The various features of novelty whereby our invention is characterized will hereinafter be pointed out with particularity in the claim; but for a full understanding of our invention and of its object and advantages, reference may be had to the following detailed description taken in connection with the accompanying drawing, wherein:

Figure l is a front view of a show case having therein a rack arranged in accordance with a preferred form of our invention; Fig. 2 is a side view on an enlarged scale showing one of the carriers and its supporting track; and Fig. 3 is a section on line 3 3 of Fig. 2.

Referring to the drawing, A represents a show case which is made up of a frame B and walls of glass C. For the sake of brevity we shall confine the description to this form of apparatus although, instead of a glass show case, any desired form of case, cabinet or storage compartment may be employed. Furthermore, we shall use the word show case throughout the specification and claim to denote all forms of display or storage compartments or chambers. Within each end of the show case is a small track D which may be of wood but is preferably made of steel or Specification of Letters Patent.

Application iled March 17, 1910.

-Patented June 7, 1910.

Serial No. 549,829.

other strong metal. These tracks may be mounted in any suitable way in t-he case, conveniently by securing them to the frame work, spacers E being arranged between the tracks and the frame work so as to hold the tracks away from the end walls of the case. The tracks are preferably inclined so as to be lower at the rear than at the front; there- 4by permitting the carriages, which will be hereinafter described, to run by gravity toward the rear of the case when free to do so.

Mounted upon each of the tracks is a carriage F which may conveniently be made of a simple L-shaped member having two wheels or rollers G and H on one side of the short arm and a third roller I on the corresponding side of the long arm. The rollers G and H are spaced apart far enough to permit the tracks to be received between them so that when the parts are assembled the rollers G and I will ride upon the tracks and the rollers H will lie beneath t-he tracks and prevent the carriages from jumping olf. IVe prefer to groove either the rollers or the tracks so as to interlock the carriages with the tracks. This may conveniently be ac complished by employing ordinary grooved wheels, the flanges of which over-lap the sides of the tracks and prevent lateral displacement. For the sake of avoiding friction and making the carriages run easy, we prefer to use ball bearings in the wheels as indicated at K. L is a rod or tube eX- tending lengthwise of the case and having its ends secured to and supported by the carriages. In the preferred arrangement, the rollers I are placed between the ends of the long arm of the carriages and the rod is secured to the carriages in advance of these rollers. By this arrangement the carriages may be moved forward as indicated in dotted lines in Fig. 2 until the ends project beyond the front of the casing, without carrying the foremost wheels from the tracks. We prefer to make slight depressions M in the upper faces of the tracks near the front end of the show case so that when the rack is drawn forward, the wheels I will drop into these depressions and will prevent the rack from running back until it is given a slight backward impulse. We also prefer to provide stops N at such points along the tracks that they will be engaged by depending portions of the carriages at the time the forward wheels are engaged in the recesses. 'Ihis prevents the rack from being drawn forward too far and brings the wheels into registration with the recesses in the track without making it necessary for the user to pay any particular attention to locating the rack when it is pulled forward. lVlien it is desired to remove the rack entirely the stops N may be removed and then the carriages will be free to run from the ends of the tracks.

In operation, after the parts are assembled, the rack is drawn forward to the position indicated in dotted lines in Fig. 2 and the goods to be displayed are placed upon the rod or tube L. During this process the rack is held stationary by reason of the rollers I engaging with the recesses M. After the rack has been filled it is given a slight push so as to cause the forward wheels to rollout of the recesses and then the rack will travel toward the back of the case automatically down the slightly inclined tracks. Then it is desired to show the goods outside of the case the rack may be drawn forward until it comes to a posit-ion to rest with the supporting rod extended beyond the front of the case. Thereafter a slight push will cause the rack to travel back to its normal position.

lVhile we have described in detail only a single preferred forni of our invention we do not desire to be limited to the structural details so described but intend to cover all forms and arrangements which fall within the terms employed in the denitions of our invention constituting the appended claim.

`What we claim is:

In combination, a show case having parallel tracks arranged adjacent to opposed sides thereof, flat L-shaped carriages lying beside said tracks, each of said carriages being provided on its short arm with two wheels one of which lies above and the other below the adjacent track, a wheel on each carriage between the ends of its long arm and overlying the adjacent track, a rod eX- tending across the case and having its ends connected with the free ends of the long arms of said carriages, said tracks having depressions near one end so as to receive certain of the wheels of the carriages, said depressions being so located as to cause said rod to project beyond the show case when the wheels are in the depressions, a stationary stop in position to engage with one of said carriages when it is moved along the adjacent track until its forward wheel engages the depression in the track and said tracks being inclined downwardly from the ends in which the depressions are located toward the opposite ends.

In testimony whereof, we sign this specication in the presence of two witnesses.

JOSEPH H. SERVATIUS. FREDERICK E. MEINEL.

lVitnesses IVM. F. FRnNDnNRnIcI-I, HARRY S. GAITHER. 

